The ongoing international break will see the Indian national football team visit Vietnam to try and win more silverware after their recent heroics in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Even though it is a friendly tournament, the Hung Thinh tournament will provide Captain Sunil Chhetri and Co. an opportunity to play against a formidable opponent in the form of Vietnam.
India will be keen to continue the form shown by them in Kolkata last June and win the tournament. India coach Igor Stimac seemed confident before leaving for Vietnam and told journalists that he believes that his side is capable of winning the title. The Blue Tigers will be high on confidence for the tournament. They are on a three-match winning streak which saw them qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in style. The team management should thus see this tournament as a platform for preliminary preparation for the upcoming competition.
India – The Blue Tigers would be eyeing to utilize the ongoing international break to the fullest by winning the Hung Thinh friendly tournament. According to Stimac, the team is in good shape. The tournament comes after the team’s commendable performance in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers; hence, it would like to continue the momentum. Barring a few players, the Indian side are traveling with almost a full-strength contingent.
This shows the intent of the team which would be keen on having a good start by defeating Singapore in their first match. Importantly, winning the first game becomes a prerogative for India as tournament favourites Vietnam have already won against Singapore 4-0. Therefore, in order to make a good start, the Indian players need to showcase on the pitch the confidence that the coach has publicly shown in them.
Singapore – After its bad start to the tournament in which it fielded seven players with less than 15 caps to their name, Singapore would be looking to make a comeback in its second game. The team needs to win the game to keep its title hopes alive. Hence, we can expect a full-strength side against India.
The core of the full-strength Singaporean side is very strong with certain regular starters. Many of these players are match-winners who can change the course of a game within no time. These players, with their eyes on silverware, would not like to repeat the mistakes of their first game.
Recent Form Guide
India – Won – Won – Won – Loss – Loss
Singapore – Loss – Won – Loss – Loss – Loss
Team News
India have not reported any injury concerns with all the players in the squad available for the match. However, doubts remain over Sandesh Jhingan and Chinglensana starting the game.
Singapore, which fielded a young side in its first game, also does not have any injury concerns. In their second match, expect Singapore to field a full-strength team.
Head-To-Head Records
India and Singapore have squared off against each other 12 times across all competitions and friendlies. Among these, India have won 4 games, and Singapore have won 7 games, while one game ended in a draw. The last time these two sides faced each other was ten years ago. The Blue Tigers suffered a 2-0 loss back then. This will be the first meeting between them since then.
Probable Starting Lineups
India’s Predicted Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1) : Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Naorem Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra; Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Sunil Chhetri (C).
Singapore’s Predicted Starting Lineup (4-3-3) : Hassan Sunny (GK); Irfan Fandi, Hariss Harun (C), Amirul Adli; Nazrul Nazari, Shahdan Sulaiman, Shah Shahiran, Adam Swandi, Sahil Suhaimi, Ikhsan Fandi, Taufik Suparno.
IFTWC’s Match Predictions
India is currently ranked 104th in FIFA rankings while their opponents Singapore are positioned 159th in the table. The Blue Tigers qualified for the AFC Asian Cup second time in a row but Singapore missed out after finishing third in their qualifying group.
Including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a India win with a probability of 49.7%. A win for Singapore has a probability of 27.43% and a draw has a probability of 22.9%. Singapore’s weak defense was exploited by Vietnam and India should do the same. Considering the contrasting form, we predict a 3-0 win for India.
MATCH AND TELECAST DETAILS
Match: India vs Singapore (International FIFA Friendly)
Date: 24th September 2022
Venue: Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
Timings: 5:30 PM IST.
Live Telecast and Streaming: Eurosport (Telecast), Jio TV and Next Sports Youtube (Streaming)
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